Rosso FiorentinoItalian, 1494–1540Pietà
May one see it?
Yes, receiving visitors
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
Pietà is a c.1537-1540 oil painting by Rosso Fiorentino, originally painted on panel and later transferred to canvas. Now in the Louvre in Paris, it is the only securely-identified original painting by the artist known to have been produced for a courtier of Francis I of France. X-ray examination has shown an initial composition under the bodies of Christ and St John.
According to Vasari's Lives of the Artists, it was commissioned by Constable of France Anne de Montmorency soon after the artist's work on the Francis I Gallery at Fontainebleau Palace. De Montmorency's coat of arms features on the pillow under Christ and it was originally at the doorway to the chapel in his Château d'Écouen, from which it was moved to the Louvre at the end of the 18th century.
Particulars
- Accession number
- INV 594
In the catalog
Sources
- Musée du Louvre
- Image: Musée du Louvre — © 2026 GrandPalaisRmn (musée du Louvre) / Mathieu Rabeau
Meanwhile, in the life of Rosso Fiorentino
The whole life1531
Moves to France, to the court of Francis I
In 1531 Rosso moves to France, becomes court painter to Francis I and never leaves the country again; there he is known as “Maître Roux”, the Red Master. Other accounts say he had already secured his court position in 1530.
1532
Appointed canon of the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris
In 1532 Rosso is appointed a canon of the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris.
1540
Imprisoned for slander
In 1540 Rosso is imprisoned for slander and probably died there of natural causes. Vasari claimed that the artist killed himself, but there is no evidence for it.
14 November 1540
Died
